Method of treating potassium-bearing silicates.



. UnjtTED sfraansrasmnr OFFICE.

:wmmna s nuses} or BROOKLYN, new YORK, assrenonyn MnsNE AssIoNMnNrs,roman EXTRACTION CORPORATION, or new YORK, N. ,Y., A conrona'rxon or NEWYORK.

' i METHOD OFTREATING POT ASSIUM-BEARING siLIcA'rrs.

1 285,121. No Drawing. Application filed March 8.

To all whom it may concern:

Be'it known that l, VVAL'rnn Gmnsnn, a subject of the German Emperor,and a residcntof Brooklyn. county of Kings. State 5 of New Yorkdnucinvented a new and useful linpro cment in Methods of TreatingPotassium-Bearing silicates, (Case 3), of which the following is aspecification, the principle of the invention being herein explained andthe best mode in which I have contemplated applying that principle, soas to distinguish it from other inventions.

Theupresent improvements relate in genoral to the treatment ofpotassium-bearing silicates and particularly to a method of treatingsuch silicates to secure the potas siurh therein in the form of watersoluble salts which are available for fertilizers and also to obtain theresulting waste material in the form of valuable by-products. Mymethodaccomplishes both these objects. and in fact may be directedprimarily, if desired, to the manufacture of the other products whichare also valuable and commercially important. To the accomplishment ofthe foregoing and related objects. said invcnihm then, consists of themeans hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in theclaims.

The following description sets forth in detail one approved method ofcarrying out the invention, such disclosed mode, however; constitutingbut one-of the various ways in which the principle of the invention may36 be used.

, The potassium bearing silicates will first be broken into lump formand heated for a considerable period. preferably about two hours, at alow red heat, which is equiva- 40 lent to a temperature of approximately800 C. The silicates, after being thus treated,

are chilled suddenly, preferably by treatment of the same in water, thusbreaking up the lumps to some extent and rendering the 5 silicates muchmore available for grinding 'and for future treatment. The resultingmaterial is then ground preferably to the fineness of a 40-mesh screen.

The preliminary treatment of the silicate 5 as described above is not initself new and has been used before for the pur ose of disintegratingthe silicateand ron ering it in a. condition to Obviously if thesilicate undergoing treat- Specification of Letters Patent.

be further crushed or treated.

Patented Nov. 19, 1918. 1915. Serial no. 12,923.

ment is already in a finely dirided condition, or is in such a conditionthat it can be readily ground or crushed to a suitable fincncss, then itwill not be necessary to put the nnztcrial through the preliminarytreatment.

The silicate in this finely divided form is then mixed with burnt limeand carbon, in the form of powdered coke, and Wlll then preferably beformed into briquets, using as little water as possible, in theproportions of 100 parts of silicate to 30 parts or less of burnt lime,with of course a suitable amount of the powdered coke. The briquets,which when first formed are moist, are then air dried and the mixture isthen ready for the final step in the treatment.

The briqucts are placed in a suitable furnace and are there subjected toa temperature in excess of 700 C. This heating is carried on in thepresence of steam and air, and produces three separate and distinctreactions, the first of which may be indicated by the following equationThe calcium cyanatc. which is forn'icd as the first product of thereaction. is iinmcdh atcly decomposed by the steam into ammonia andcalcium bicarbonate, according to the following equation z- The calciumbicarbonate whicl is thus formed is, upon further heating, broken upinto lime, or rather carbonic acid, according to the following equationThe water which is thus formed, together with the steam in the furnaceand the carbonic acid, react upon the silicate to form soluble potassiumcarbonate, this reaction being. caused by the nascent state of thecarbonic acid and by reason of the resence ofa contact substance, whichin this instance is the undecomposed silicate and the coke and lime.

Ammonia is produced only until the coke is entirely consumed, but theamount of lime is constantly being added to, as willbe indicated by thethird equation, showing the breaking up of the calcium bicarbonate, andit will react u this way materially assisting in the. decomon theignited silicate, in

position of the latter, with the formation, as one of the products, ofcalcium silicate. The resulting clinker from the heating may be used asa ertilizer since it contains potassium carbonate, which is of coursesoluble in water.

The present method of treating lpotassium bearing silicates may be usedeit er for the production of ammonia with available potassiumfertilizers as by-products, or it may be directed primarily to theproduction of water-soluble potassium salts with ammonia as aby-product, and in either case affords a method of securing theconstituents of potassium-bearing silicates in a usable and commerciallyvaluable form.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may -be employedinstead of the one explained, change being made as regards the processherein disclosed or the materials employed in carrying out the process,provided the step or steps stated by any of the following claims or theequivalent of such stated step or steps be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. In a method of treating potassium bearing silicates, the steps whichconsist in heating the silicate, cooling the same suddenly, intimatelymixing the resulting material with burnt lime and carbon in theproportions of approximately 100 parts of silicate to 30 parts of lime,and then heating such mixture in the presence of steam and air at atemperature above 700 degrees C.

2. In a method of treating potassium bearing silicates, the steps whichconsist in heating the silicate, cooling the same suddenly, intimatelymixing the resultin material with burnt lime and carbon in t eproportions of 100 parts of silicate to 30 parts of lime, and thenheatin such mixture in the presence of steam an air at a temperatureabove 700 degrees C. until all of the carbon present is consumed,thereby producing ammonia and potassium carbonate.

3. In a method of treating potassium hearing silicates, the steps whichconsist in heat ing the silicate, cooling the same suddenly, intimatelymixing the resulting material with burnt lime and carbon, and thenheating such mixture in the presence of steam and air at above 700 C.

4. In a method of treating potassium bearing silicates, the steps whichconsist in heating the silicate, cooling the same suddenly,

intimately mixing the resulting material with burnt lime and carbon, andthen heating such mixture in the resence of steam and air at above 700until all of the carbon present is consumed, thereb producing ammoniaand potassium car onate.

5. In a method of treating potassium bearing silicates, the steps whichconsist in heating the silicate in lump form to approximately 800 C.,cooling the same suddenly, intimately ,mixing the resulting materialwith burnt lime and coke in the proportions 'of 100 parts of silicate to30 parts of lime, briqueting such mixture, and then heating the same inthe presence of steam and air at a temperature above 700 C.

6. In a method of treating potassium-bear.- ing silicates, the stepwhich consists in heating finely divided silicate with burnt lime andcarbon in the presence of steam and air at a temperature above 700degrees C.

Signed by me, this 16th day of February,

. WALTER GLAESER. Attested byt- J. J. DOYLE,

E. A. GANNON.

